Southern Adds 53 MW of Biomass to Renewables Portfolio

Southern's (NYSE: SO) Georgia Power announced today that it has added 53.5 MW of biomass capacity to its generation portfolio through a 20-year purchase power agreement with Rollcast Energy.

The capacity will come exclusively from Rollcast's newly operational Piedmont Green Power plant in Barnesville, Ga., and will provide electricity to power around 35,000 homes.

"We continue to implement a strategy that diversifies our generation portfolio through renewable sources that are cost-effective for our customers," said Georgia Power President and CEO Paul Bowers in a statement today. "Our customers want safe, clean, reliable, and affordable energy, and that's a commitment we will keep."

According to the release, the plant will fuel itself on forestry byproducts from nearby areas. Rollcast expects annual consumption to reach 500,000 tons, and it will retain all renewable-energy credits. Although Rollcast itself is a private corporation, Atlantic Power (NYSE: AT) acquired a 60% equity interest in the company in 2009.

Motley Fool contributor Justin Loiseau has no position in any stocks mentioned, but he does use electricity. You can follow him on Twitter, @TMFJLo, and on Motley Fool CAPS, @TMFJLo.

Comments from our Foolish Readers

Help us keep this a respectfully Foolish area! This is a place for our readers to discuss, debate, and learn more about the Foolish investing topic you read about above. Help us keep it clean and safe. If you believe a comment is abusive or otherwise violates our Fool's Rules, please report it via the Report this Comment icon found on every comment.